G3KEV considers 8.97kHz operation

One of the biggest signals, if not THE biggest, on 136 and 500kHz is Mal G3KEV up in Yorkshire. He has very large antennas and good equipment and has worked some very impressive DX on CW. Today Mal suggested he might also apply for an NoV to operate below 9kHz. This was his email to the LF reflector when he talked about what equipment he might use:

If I get time and a NOV for 9 kcs my proposed approach for TX would be an IC 706 on 900 kcs divided by 100/driver chip TC 4427 and a couple of FETS class D for an output of a few hundred watts, designed for 50 ohms, 50 ohm coax to antenna 200 feet away from shack as at present for 137 and 500 kcs.

Use the existing 1/4 wave inv L for 500 plus 2 additional ones same spec all in parallel and base loaded by inductor to resonate on 9 kcs, use existing ground radial system not too elaborate. Antenna height is approx 100 ft vertical and the rest to make up the 1/4 wave is horizontal.

The speculators, gamblers and dreamers might be able to guess what distance I might cover.

Let me compare your figures !!

Assume pwr to be 400 watts at base of antenna.

Using 9 kcs figure for convenience, but 8970 kcs would prob be the qrg

 I expect the experts on the LF reflector will come back with a probable range figure in QRSS100 shortly. It will be many hundreds of kilometres for sure.

My first 2-way CW QSOs on 500kHz

This afternoon, just after midday, I worked Mal, G3KEV, in Scarborough for my first 2-way CW QSO on 500kHz. I gave him 569 and he gave me 529. Then at 4pm I was called by Chris G3XIZ who gave me 579. ERP at my end around 2mW.